Software Development – From Code to Product
Semester A, 5775 (Oct 2014 to Jan 2015).
Lecturer: Dr Gideon Greenspan.
Objective
Learn how to turn a core technology or idea into a software product which delights users,
succeeds in the marketplace and becomes a profitable business. We will study many
examples of product and company successes and failures along the way.
Structure
2 hours lecture per week (attendance required). Practical exercises and a final project.
Syllabus
The following subjects will be covered:
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Introduction to software products
The software entrepreneurship process
User interface principles
Practical user interface design
Selling products and services
Digital advertising
Marketing for startups
User retention strategies
Customer facing APIs
Analytics and optimization
Search engine visibility
Prerequisites
Students must have passed the course: Introduction to Computer Science (111115)
Requirements
Attendance at lectures, submission of two practical exercises, final project and interview.
Grading
25% – Practical exercises (2 x 12.5%).
75% – Final project, subject to interview.
A final grade of 60% is required to pass the course.
Practical Exercises
Two exercises to practice the principles taught in the course. Example subjects:
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Specification for version 1.0 of a new product, with justifications.
Documentation for a simple customer facing API.
Students should expect to spend about 5 hours on each exercise, individually or in pairs.
Final Project
A report analyzing and comparing two competing products in terms of: (a) functionality, (b)
user interface, (c) business model and (d) marketing. The two products can be desktop
software, web applications, mobile applications or any combination thereof. The choice of
products is subject to approval by the lecturer. Students may work individually or in pairs.
Each student should expect to spend at least 25 hours preparing the report, and significantly
more if working individually. Reports may be written in English or Hebrew, and must be
submitted by February 12th. During March each student will be interviewed for
approximately 15 minutes to discuss their report. The interview is for verification purposes
and not graded. However students who cannot demonstrate in the interview that they made a
significant contribution to their project will have their grade reduced accordingly
Bibliography
Some recommended background reading (not required):
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Fried J. Getting Real
Livingston, J. Founders at Work
Ries E. The Lean Startup
About the Lecturer
Dr Gideon Greenspan is a seasoned developer–entrepreneur who started his first software
business at the age of 17. He has since founded and developed many successful websites,
including Web Sudoku, the web’s most popular sudoku site, and Copyscape, a plagiarism
search engine serving millions of users. Since March 2014, he is the Founder and CEO of
Coin Sciences Ltd, a startup developing a set of open protocols on top of the bitcoin network.
Gideon has a BA in Computer Science and Business (Cambridge), an MA in Philosophy
(London) and a PhD in Computer Science (Technion).
Office Hours
Immediately following the weekly lecture, subject to coordination in advance.